There are three things that are certain in this life: death, taxes, and Bears fans talking smack to Packers fans during the offseason. This is not always limited to the fans. Former Packers offensive lineman Lucas Patrick had some choice words about the Bears/Packers rivalry in his introductory press conference in Chicago. The latest in these barbs from the Bears camp is that Chicago has better wide receivers than the Packers.
The Chicago Bears have a better wide receiver room than the Green Bay Packers but the NFL media will not tell you that
— Matt Newton (@mattnewts) July 13, 2022
Earlier this week, the Bears traded a seventh round pick to the Patriots for former first round pick N’Keal Harry. Chicago also added former Packers wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown in free agency. Velus Jones Jr. was taken by Chicago in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft. The Bears also boast Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, David Moore, Dazz Newsome, Nsimba Webster, and Isaiah Coulter on their 90-man roster. The question is: are they really better than the Packers’ wide receivers?
Related: The Packers can steal a prominent record away from the Bears in 2022
The Bears Wide Receivers
Of course, the only way to come to a conclusion during the offseason is to look at previous production. To that end, let’s breakdown the Bears’ receivers career stats.
Darnell Mooney
- 2020: 61 receptions, 62.2% catch percentage, 631 yards, four touchdowns, one fumble, one drop, 85.9 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: 81 receptions, 57.9% catch percentage, 1,055 yards, four touchdowns, nine drops, 67.4 passer rating when targeted
Byron Pringle
- 2019: 12 receptions, 75% catch percentage, 170 yards, one touchdown, two drops, 103.6 passer rating when targeted
- 2020: 13 receptions, 76.5% catch percentage, 160 yards, one touchdown, zero drops, 124.6 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: 42 receptions, 70% catch percentage, 568 yards, five touchdowns, four drops, two fumbles, 127.6 passer rating when targeted
Equanimeous St. Brown
- 2018: 21 receptions, 58.3% catch percentage, 328 yards, no touchdowns, two drops, 88.7 passer rating when targeted
- 2019: Did not play
- 2020: seven receptions, 53.8% catch percentage, 117 yards, one touchdown, two drops, 110.1 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: nine receptions, 52.9% catch percentage, 98 yards, no touchdowns, one drop, 45.7 passer rating when targeted
Related: Equanimeous St. Brown signs with Bears
David Moore
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- 2017: Appeared in one game and received no targets
- 2018: 26 receptions, 49.1% catch percentage, 445 yards, five touchdowns, three drops, two fumbles, 93.7 passer rating when targeted
- 2019: 17 receptions, 50% catch percentage, 301 yards, two touchdowns, one drop, two fumbles, 88.0 passer rating when targeted
- 2020: 35 receptions, 74.5% catch percentage, 417 yards, six touchdowns, three drops, one fumble, 140.7 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: zero receptions, 0% catch percentage, zero yards, zero’s across the board, 39.6 passer rating when targeted
Related: Chicago Bears add fifth ex-Packers player this offseason
Dazz Newsome
- 2021: two receptions, 40% catch percentage, 23 yards, zero touchdowns, zero drops, 15.0 passer rating when targeted
N’Keal Harry
- 2019: 12 receptions, 50% catch percentage, 105 yards, two touchdowns, one drop, 72.4 passer rating when targeted
- 2020: 33 receptions, 57.9% catch percentage, 309 yards, two touchdowns, one fumble, one drop, 70.0 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: 12 receptions, 54.5% catch percentage, 184 yards, zero touchdowns, one fumble, one drop, 63.4 passer rating when targeted
Nsimba Webster
- Webster has been used only as a kick returner in his three years in the NFL; he has played only nine offensive snaps in that time.
Isaiah Coulter
- Isaiah Coulter has played 21 offensive snaps in two seasons; he was targeted once last season and has a 39.6 passer rating when targeted. That was the only time in his NFL career a throw was sent his way.
Velus Jones Jr.
- 2016: zero catches or targets in one game
- 2017: six receptions for 46 yards and no touchdowns
- 2018: 24 receptions for 266 yards and one touchdown
- 2019: six receptions for 35 yards and no touchdowns
- 2020: 22 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns
- 2021: 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns
The Packers Wide Receivers
The Chicago Bears certainly have more receivers that have NFL experience than the Packers. After all, Green Bay drafted three new wide receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft and signed a couple more as undrafted free agents. That being said, the numbers tell their own story.
Allen Lazard
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- 2018: one reception, 100% catch percentage, seven yards, zero touchdowns, zero drops, 95.8 passer rating when targeted
- 2019: 35 receptions, 67.3% catch percentage, 477 yards, three touchdowns, two drops, 115.6 passer rating when targeted
- 2020: 33 receptions, 71.7% catch percentage, 451 yards, three touchdowns, five drops, 124.5 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: 40 receptions, 66.7% catch percentage, 513 yards, eight touchdowns, one drop, 132.8 passer rating when targeted
Related: The case for Allen Lazard as wide receiver one
Randall Cobb
Note: the advanced stats used here, such as drops and passer rating when targeted started to be tracked in 2018. Therefore, I will only be using Cobb’s stats from 2018 and forward to give an accurate comparison. These are more accurate depictions of what can be expected of him in 2022 anyway.
- 2018: 38 receptions, 62.3% catch percentage, 383 yards, two touchdowns, two fumbles, four drops, 91.1 passer rating when targeted
- 2019: 55 receptions, 66.3% catch percentage, 828 yards, three touchdowns, two fumbles, eight drops, 95.9 passer rating when targeted
- 2020: 38 receptions, 79.2% catch percentage, 441 yards, three touchdowns, zero fumbles, zero drops, 125.8 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: 28 receptions, 71.8% catch percentage, 375 yards, five touchdowns, one fumble, two drops, 141.6 passer rating when targeted
Related: Randall Cobb says, “I’m creating a standard” for Green Bay Packers players
Sammy Watkins
Note: Just like with Cobb, I will only be using Watkins’ stats from 2018 onward. While this excludes his best seasons, it is a more fair comparison.
- 2018: 40 receptions, 72.7% catch percentage, 519 yards, three touchdowns, one fumble, one drop, 120.2 passer rating when targeted
- 2019: 52 receptions, 57.8% catch percentage, 673 yards, three touchdowns, two fumbles, four drops, 92.5 passer rating when targeted
- 2020: 37 receptions, 63.7% catch percentage, 421 yards, two touchdowns, one fumble, three drops, 102.2 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: 27 receptions, 55.1% catch percentage, 394 yards, one touchdown, one fumble, six drops, 79.8 passer rating when targeted
Related: Demovsky names Sammy Watkins as potential cut candidate during training camp
Amari Rodgers
- 2021: four receptions, 50% catch percentage, 45 yards, zero touchdowns, two fumbles, one drop, 27.6 passer rating when targeted
Related: Amari Rodgers explains how he will improve in 2022
Malik Taylor
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- 2020: five receptions, 83.3% catch percentage, 66 yards, one touchdown, zero fumbles, zero drops, 152.1 passer rating when targeted
- 2021: two receptions, 66.7% catch percentage, 14 yards, zero touchdowns, one fumble, zero drops, 77.1 passer rating when targeted
Juwann Winfree
- 2018: played in two games and did not record a catch
- 2019: played in three games and did not record a catch
- 2020: eight receptions, 61.5% catch percentage, 58 yards, zero touchdowns, two fumbles, one drop, 72.1 passer rating when targeted
Christian Watson
- 2018: nine receptions for 165 yards and zero touchdowns
- 2019: 34 receptions for 732 yards and eight touchdowns
- 2020: 19 receptions for 442 yards and zero touchdowns
- 2021: 43 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns
Related: Christian Watson among favorites to win Offensive Rookie of the Year
Romeo Doubs
- 2018: 43 receptions for 562 yards and two touchdowns
- 2019: 44 receptions for 649 yards and four touchdowns
- 2020: 58 receptions for 1,002 yards and nine touchdowns
- 2021: 80 receptions for 1,109 yards and 11 touchdowns
Related: Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs is turning heads during OTAs
Samori Toure
- 2017: 31 receptions for 553 yards and five touchdowns
- 2018: 37 receptions for 440 yards and two touchdowns
- 2019: 87 receptions for 1,495 yards and 13 touchdowns
- 2020: Did not play
- 2021: 46 receptions for 898 yards and six touchdowns
Related: Samori Toure gets a shoutout from Aaron Rodgers
Danny Davis
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- 2017: 26 receptions for 418 yards and five touchdowns
- 2018: 40 receptions for 418 yards and five touchdowns
- 2019: 30 receptions for 250 yards and one touchdown
- 2020: three receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown
- 2021: 32 receptions for 478 yards and two touchdowns
- 2022: Did not play
Conclusion
The numbers presented here speak for themselves. While Darnell Mooney had the most receiving yards in the NFL in 2021 of any wide receiver on this list, it is really the only stat in which one could argue he is better than any Packers wide receiver. The young rookie wide receivers may not have played a NFL game yet, but they have just as many receptions and touchdowns in the NFL as two of the veteran wide receivers the Bears have.
From top to bottom, it’s hard to see how anyone could claim the Bears wide receivers are better than the Packers wide receivers. Must be blinded by hatred and jealousy.
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